Magic
by crbrgmi
Summary: In the midst of a dangerous mission, can love befall two unlikely characters? NatsuxGray
1. Chapter 1

A.N: Hello, everybody! Because of popular demand, I brought Natsu and Gray's relationship to a chapter story! Even though it isn't what was originally asked for - Just a Dream and If Only are one-shots, sorry guys - this story should set all you crazy fan girls at ease, if but only for a moment. I know I'm sure at ease, if but only for a moment.

Now, this is only the first chapter, so, when you finish reading, please leave a review, let me know what you think so far, and if I get enough motivation, I'll start with regular uploads.

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><p>Magic<p>

Chapter 1

Gray couldn't help himself. When he saw the soulless form of his motion sickened friend, he took the first moment he had. While his other two companions, and Happy, left to find some snacks, Gray pulled Natsu off the seats, not bothering with how hard the lump hit the floor, and literally kicked Natsu until he rolled under the benched seats of the train.

Natsu deserved it, after all. It was his fault that the five of them were on some pointless mission. It didn't matter that the flyer claimed the mission to be S-class, the description was literally pointless. The mission was, quite literally, a needle in a haystack - the flyer had a lack of description on the size of the haystack, not to mention the point of finding said needle in said haystack. For this, Gray felt Natsu deserved to be tied to the roof of the train for the whole journey.

"It'll be easy, Natsu?" Gray mumbled as he gave the other another deserved hard nudge of his foot. "If we just picked the mission I wanted to go on, we'd be at the beach right now!" Begrudgingly, Gray plopped back onto his seat, his arms folded, and he pouted. The beach…they could have been vacationing at the beach.

"Still moping, Gray?"

Gray glanced away for a moment, long enough to see that the girls, and Happy, returned. He shrugged and continued watching the passing landscape from outside the window.

"Eh? Where's Natsu?" Lucy held a slight tone of worry, but Gray knew she was just as disappointed as he was in missing out on the beach. He felt the bench shift as Erza took her seat next to him.

"He's under the seat, it looks like," Erza replied, setting down her cargo of small snacks so she could commence politely eating her strawberry cake. "I wonder how he got there."

Gray glanced at her, but he didn't have to see her face to know that she was only feigning interest. She knew exactly how he got there, but she didn't seem too disturbed by it. The ones who were disturbed were Lucy and Happy.

Lucy set her snacks on the seat, and, with Happy's help, grabbed Natsu's arm and tried to pull him out.

"I wouldn't move him too much, Lucy," Erza said. "He could vomit at any moment if he were to be tousled enough." That was enough to make the two desperate heroes drop their victim's arm, and sit on the seat above him. "However, we will have to remember that he's there. We won't have any time to waste once we reach the station."

"Yeah, wouldn't it be a drag if we accidentally forgot him?" Gray mumbled, grabbing an ice cream cup from the pile Erza had set between them. "We'd have to leave him on the train, go do our job, and who knows how long he'd be there before someone realizes he's there?"

Lucy placed her hands on her cheeks and moaned. "He could be here for weeks!" she shrieked.

"Wouldn't that be a shame?" Gray said in another sarcastic tone. He returned to looking out the window, eating small bites of the ice cream. It was bland, not very vanilla tasting, as the carton advertises. Sighing, he reminded himself that ice cream bought from the beach vendors were usually a hundred times better than any normal ice cream. Even the best quality ice cream couldn't compare to the dairy desert eaten on a hot summer's day, lounging on the beach.

Closing his eyes, he imagined himself on the sand, in the hot sun, eating that ice cream. He could see himself and his teammates, laying in the sun, tanning. Then, after the heat became too unbearable, they'd all go in the water. The thought of the cool, salty water against his hot skin made him shiver. He and Natsu would sneak up on the girls, splashing and dunking each other. Yes, the water streaming down their half-naked bodies - or fully naked in his case, most likely - was much more appealing than searching for a needle in a haystack.

Water streaming down that perfectly tanned back, making a delicious trail downwards, falling farther and farther until it disappeared just above the waist. The owner of the body turned around, smiling, dark, onyx colored eyes smiling at him.

Gray opened his eyes. He felt his body warm up at the image his mind had just portrayed. Who was it? There could many possibilities, but he only imagined the four of them at the beach. Obviously it had to be either Lucy or Erza, which he didn't mind - they both had pretty nice bodies that he wouldn't mind seeing water dripping down on - but it still bothered him that he didn't know whom it really was.

Looking down at his lap, he noticed his ice cream had melted. His body wasn't that hot, was it? He never had ice cream melt in his hands before.

"Are you going to keep spacing out, there?" Erza said, standing in the train isle, her hands on her hips. "We need to hurry up and get off the train, and you need to carry the comatose one." She turned and walked away.

Gray was alone with Natsu. How long had they been at the train station? Long enough for Lucy and Erza to remove the luggage, obviously. Why hadn't they woke him when they arrived? That was just strange in itself. He could have helped them, or at least removed Natsu from under the bench sooner.

Sighing, Gray set the ice cream on the seat, and pulled Natsu out from his shadowy place, hoisting the almost dead one upon his shoulders. With a silent plea for Natsu to not vomit on him, Gray made his way off the train.

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><p>"They're late," Natsu mumbled into his cup. "I wonder what happened. Erza never shows up for an appointment late."<p>

"You worried?" Gray leaned back, his arms bent at the elbow so he created his own lounge chair. "If you're that worried, go find out the problem. And, while you're at it, try to sneak a peek of their naked bodies." He chuckled as Natsu threw a pillow at him. "Don't tell me you've never thought of Lucy like that."

"It's none of your business if I have, you damn popsicle." He took another gulp of his drink. "Anyway, naked or not, they better hurry before the alcohol is all gone."

"Yeah, and I haven't had a chance to have any."

Natsu stood up, holding his fist out. "You wanna fight that badly, perverted snowman." He moved to punch Gray, who was too far away for him to make contact with, and he stumbled, tripping on his feet. Gray jumped up, moving out of the way as Natsu fell on his face. They were silent for a moment, taking a whole two seconds to decide whether what just happened was something serious or not. In the end, the both of them started laughing. Gray nudged Natsu with his foot, making the drunkard roll over on his back.

"You really are a clumsy idiot, aren't you?" Gray exclaimed. "Can't even stand on your own two feet."

Natsu grabbed Gray's foot as Gray moved to kick him again, pulling so Gray lost his balance, falling down on his ass, hard. Gray leaned to the side, rubbing his throbbing behind. Without warning, he pounced on Natsu, punching wherever his fists happened to fly at the moment. Natsu countered with random flying punches of his own. In the end, they both ended up missing each other more than actually connecting with any fleshy surfaces.

After a few minutes of pointless punching, Natsu finally connected with Gray's cheek. The impact made Gray's head jerk back, and Natsu took the opportunity to grab both of Gray's arms, and roll over so he was on top of Gray, pinning both of Gray's arms above his head. Gray clenched his eyes shut, trying to dull the pain of his cheek; without his hands, he couldn't rub the spot where Natsu hit, nor could he punch Natsu in delicious revenge.

For another few silent moments, they sat, both breathing hard, trying to catch their breaths and calm down. When Gray finally opened his eyes, his breath caught in his throat. Why? He wasn't quite sure, but the sight of Natsu above him was, literally, breathtaking.

Natsu sat with his eyes closed, concentrated on calming his breathing as well. His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol he consumed earlier. His body was covered in sweat, from head to waist, and his yukata was hanging open, revealing his muscular torso. His pink hair clung to his forehead.

In the end, he looked like he just finished having sex, which Gray thought was interesting, and erotic at the same time. His hands twitched, wanting to move but unable to because of the iron hold Natsu had on them. He had to touch Natsu, he wasn't sure why, but something about the way Natsu was sitting, the air around him, just begged for Gray to touch him.

Natsu opened his eyes a little, and gave a half-smile. Gray nearly choked on his breath again when he noticed Natsu's eyes. They were the same as the eyes he saw in his beach dream on the train. That couldn't have been his subconscious predicting this exact moment? Why would his subconscious be so cruel?

Gray froze. What was he thinking? What the hell was going on? Natsu was a man! Gray was man! This was stupid! He threw up his hips, making Natsu fall off him, freeing Gray's hands in the process. Gray quickly stood up and casually walked to the farthest corner away from Natsu.

"Get a hold of yourself," he mumbled. "You obviously can't hold your liquor very well."

Natsu blinked at him. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Party started already?" The two men turned to the door to find the missing girls, who were no longer missing. They both wore their yukatas, but Lucy seemed to have closed her tighter than usual, almost like she was uncomfortable to be wearing it. Erza stood with a hand on her hip, smirking at the two men. She held up a bag. "I knew most of the drinks would be gone by the time we got here, so I picked up some more."

"That's fine, but Natsu's not allowed to have anymore," Gray said, moving back to the table, still keeping his distance from Natsu, not even bothering to look at him.

The girls sat in front of him, and he couldn't help noticing a faint blush on Lucy's cheeks. That's right, if there was any confusion earlier, it would soon disappear in the company of two able-bodied women.


	2. Chapter 2

Magic

Chapter 2

The team arrived at the employer's home bright and early the next day, per their employer's instruction. Unfortunately their employer wasn't there, and they had to wait for the man for two hours, which wouldn't have been half as bad if Natsu wasn't complaining about a hangover and empty stomach. Gray had managed not to look at his friend all morning, which, regarding their history, wasn't anything different than usual. He still couldn't get over that feeling he had for a moment the previous night, and he didn't trust himself not to feel it again if he were to look at his friend.

It was especially worse after he fell asleep. Gray had dreamt that he was enjoying a steamy night with someone, and when he looked up to see Natsu's face, the dream Gray freaked out just as much as the real Gray would have, and Gray jumped awake, covered in sweat, and when he glanced at Natsu's sleeping form on the other side of the room, images of his dream flashed before his eyes, and that was when he determined not to look at Natsu until he could calm down his nerves.

By the end of the second hour, Natsu's complaining had reached to ear splitting whining, which Gray was able to tune out with his own problems, until Natsu put his arm around Gray's shoulders. Gray didn't even know what was being said, but the second he felt someone touching him, Gray grabbed the arm and swung Natsu away from him, the other man landing in a explosion of dust.

When he realized what he had done, Gray blushed and placed a hand behind his head, embarrassed to be caught with his head in the clouds like that in front of his other teammates.

"Ah, sorry about that," he said, deducing who he had thrown by simple math. Erza, Lucy, and Happy were all staring at him, meaning Natsu was the one he had thrown. "Er, sorry, Natsu."

Immediately Natsu jumped up and shoved his face into Gray's. "What hell was that for? You got a problem or something?"

Gray pushed away, not wishing to be so close to Natsu. The other man was so warm, which could have been because of Natsu's nature, but it felt so comforting that Gray couldn't stand being so close to him at the moment - not that he didn't want to be standing so close or anything.

"Eh, sorry, I'm just not in the mood to deal with it this morning," Gray mumbled, leaning against the wall of the house.

"Well, take your crabbiness and shove it," Natsu grumbled.

As Natsu stomped off to pass the time, Erza leaned against the wall next to Gray. "You okay? We'll need you in your right mind if we're going to pull this mission off."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He turned away from the woman, crossing his arms. He really wasn't in the mood, but doing a difficult mission might put him in his right mind, and he'd be able to forget about everything that's happened. Hopefully there was some sort of fighting involved, otherwise he might just go crazy.

Speak of the devil, their employer walked up from the road. He was a tall man, around twenty-five years old, black hair, green eyes, totally average. When he noticed the team, he froze, his eyes widening, and then he started crying. He threw himself at Lucy's feet.

"You're finally here!" the man cried. "I can't believe you've finally come!"

Lucy blinked and stepped away from him, glancing back at Erza, who took the role of leader and stepped in front of Lucy. "Yes, we're here. What can we help you with?"

The man looked up, smiled, and stood up. "I still can't believe you're all finally here. I'm such big trouble that you're like visions from heaven!"

Natsu rolled his eyes, then held up a fist. "Just tell us who we're going to beat so we can get paid!"

Lucy punched Natsu's arm, but he just looked at her and shrugged.

"Ah, yes," the man said, wiping his eyes. "Would you like to come in for tea?"

"No," Gray said through his teeth. "Just tell us what we're doing."

"Okay." Sighing, the man took a piece of paper out of his coat, and handed it to Erza, who opened it to reveal a picture of a jewel encrusted sewing needle. "This was given to me by my grandmother," the man said. "It's a very valuable family heirloom. A week ago, someone broke into my home and stole it. I hired an investigator to find it, but she turned out to be useless, only able to tell me that whoever stole it had hidden it in a haystack on Mt. Io."

"Which one is Mt. Io?" Erza inquired, looking at the mountain range in front of her, all the way on the other side of the town.

"The middle one, the biggest one."

"And it's on top?" Gray growled. His fingers twitched, wanting to grab Natsu and strangle him. They could be sun tanning right now, instead of going mountain climbing.

"Guarded by the thief, no doubt," Erza said.

"Must be someone strong," Lucy squeaked. "Otherwise, why else would this be S-Class?"

Erza folded the paper and handed it to Lucy. "Let's get going. We need to get there as fast as possible."

"Why?" the man asked. "I don't think there's a time limit…"

"The beach," Erza said, giving the man a sideways glance, which confused him. He wanted to cower in fear at her look, but was also confused by her answer.

Without another word, Erza led the group away from the man's house on their long trek to across the town, and then up the mountain.

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><p>AN: Okay, I know this is very short, and not much has happened, but after being distracted by other things, and then having writer's block (already!), I decided to just quickly post chapter 2, give you time to soak it up, and then I'll post up 3 next week - I gots things that I'm doing this weekend, so absolutely no time to write in ANYTHING that I'm working on. -sadface!-

And I also changed the rating, since it'll actually be awhile before they actually get down and dirty, so really there's no point in this story being M right now. But just keep this as a note: It will be changed! Just not for awhile, yet.

Well, thanks for reviewing/favoriting/alerting this story, and much more is appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's the third installment of Magic. Hope you enjoy it enough to review/alert/favorite. =) And, thank you to all of you who did these things already! It's because of you that makes me feel bad whenever I take too long to update, or I don't update something that's good enough.

Heh, anywho, enjoy!

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><p>Magic<p>

Chapter 3

It was vulgar how much Natsu was enjoying himself. Gray couldn't help glaring as Natsu's hand cupped Lucy's behind, pushing her over a boulder that she had been having trouble with. It was no secret - at least to Gray - that Natsu had a "thing" for Lucy. He confessed to Gray not three days ago, just before they left for this mission. Back then, Gray didn't think anything of it. Go ahead, he had said, good luck!

After the dreams last night, however, Gray couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Natsu. He didn't enjoy being involuntarily distracted, especially when he had to focus on this mission. Every time Natsu turned toward him, Gray remembered the feel of Natsu's torso, the hard abs that could drive any woman crazy.

That's right…women! Natsu should be driving women crazy, not him. Gray was not a woman. No, Gray was a man, who was only attracted to beautiful women with nice bodies. Right, make this team interesting by hooking up with Erza, since Natsu had already called dibs on Lucy.

Watching the two girls walking close to each other, he was envious of Natsu. Conquering Erza would be no easy task, especially since she supposedly was already hooked up with Jellal, but those were just rumors. Taking a deep breath, he climbed over another boulder.

"When did we lose the trail?" Lucy asked, accepting assistance from Erza.

"We're still on the trail," Erza said, pausing only for a moment to look behind her. As the leader, she was turning back to make sure everyone was okay.

"There must have been a rock slide," said Happy, floating around Natsu's shoulder. "I see a clearing up ahead, so the rocks are almost conquered!"

"Easy for you to say, since you've got wings," Gray mumbled, bringing up the rear.

"Aye!" Happy squeaked, twirling in the air.

It was only a matter of time before they finally came upon the clearing. Gray had managed to keep his focus on just trying not to slip off the boulders, and not paying any attention to whatever Natsu might be doing to "help" Lucy; but as they stood together in the clearing - looking upon a quaint little barn they found - Gray noticed how close to Erza Lucy was standing. Maybe Natsu was being too helpful?

Natsu's giggling brought Gray back to the problem at hand. They finally reached the clearing where they saw a small barn. There was nothing else around it, nothing to indicate that it housed animals or people, but Erza was still on alert.

"This is it," Natsu said. "We found it. Let's go inside and kick the crap outta that jerk!"

"If anyone is in there," Erza scolded, keeping quiet, "then they might have already noticed our arrival."

"In other words," Gray muttered, "be quiet!" _Especially since that giggle was a little cute. Guh, Gray, what are you thinking?_

"But, isn't the house we're looking for on the top of the mountain?" Lucy whispered. "We're close, but not close enough to be considered the top."

Erza nodded and led the group in a quiet sneak up to the barn. They split into groups, Erza and Lucy in a group, and Natsu, Happy, and Gray in another group. Erza sent the boys to the back to make sure that no one could escape, if there was anyone in there to begin with.

Being so close to Natsu made Gray's stomach tingle, and he fought to push it away. All business now, no time to start questioning his inner chemistry and attraction to a man he had, until recently, despised.

The boys watched the back of the barn, though there was no door - that didn't mean someone couldn't blast their way out, or find some other discreet way of escaping.

The girls each took a side of the barn doors, opening only one of the double doors. Lucy opened the door so Erza faced the inside. If someone was inside, they'd meet up with her first, and they wouldn't like that very much.

Opening the door all they way, nothing happened. Erza placed a finger to her mouth, and Lucy crouched down, keeping as inconspicuous and silent as she possibly could while Erza stepped inside. Silence for a few moments, and then a tiny shriek. Lucy jumped up as a couple of birds flapped out of the barn in a frenzy. Lucy ran inside to find Erza on the floor, glaring at the escaping birds.

"Are you okay?" Lucy inquired.

"I'm fine, though I'm craving poultry for dinner," Erza answered. "It's okay, guys! It's clear." She stood up and accepted Lucy's help in dusting off hay and dirt from her clothes. She smiled her thanks to Lucy as the boys walked in.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, looking around. "Did I miss the fight? Where's the bad guy?"

"They flew off," Lucy said. "It's okay, it was just birds."

"The barn is empty," Erza said. "I think it's the perfect place to set up camp. We keep out of the cold and have cover in case something unfriendly shows up."

"Camp? But it's still light out." This from Gray, thankful to set his mind on something other than Natsu, even if that something was arguing with Erza. "We can still hike a few more hours before we need to settle down."

"I've given my reasons," Erza answered. She glanced up at Natsu who had climbed a ladder and was shuffling about in the hay on the loft. "Besides, when we come up to our enemy, we'll want to be refreshed. If we were to continue, we could meet up with our enemy unprepared. We need our rest."

"It's not here," Natsu announced. "There's no pretty pokey thing up here."

"No kidding," Gray mumbled. "The needle is up at the top with that bastard we're here to kill, or apprehend, or whatever. Don't you pay attention to anything?"

"You asking for an ass kicking?" Natsu popped his head over the edge of the loft, glaring. "If you wanna go, let's step outside."

Sighing, Gray shook his head. "Let's just get dinner set up."

"Good idea," Erza said. "You boys go and find food while Lucy and I get things together here." She pushed Gray out of the barn. "Hurry Natsu! And don't forget firewood."

When the boys and Happy were out, she closed the barn door. Gray figured that it was a good idea to close it, but she seemed a little hurried to get rid of them. It was understandable that the girls would want some private time, probably to gossip about something nonsensical - for example Natsu's constant attentions to Lucy. What would they say about that?

Eh, who cared? That was girl talk, so he couldn't be bothered by it. What he was bothered by was always being with Natsu. He was terrified by how he could suddenly be this attracted to someone in less than twenty-four hours. He was even more terrified that that someone was a guy. He'd never even thought of another man as attractive before. He'd never admit that a man was handsome, or good-looking, or anything. To suddenly have dreams about Natsu, and then think that he had a sexy body was a complete change in too little of time.

He couldn't handle this. He sent Natsu off to look for food on his own, so Gray didn't have to be alone with him. Gray the proceeded to search for any sticks to be used as firewood.

Just get through this, he kept telling himself. _Just pay attention to the task at hand, then you can drive yourself crazy trying to sort this new problem out. _He couldn't help but relive the dream he had the previous night. It was so real that if he wanted to fret over it, he might actually conclude that it was real. Hell, Natsu was so drunk last night that it was possible.

But he knew it didn't really happen, even though the feel of Natsu underneath him felt so real. No, it wasn't real, it was just a dream! Just a dream. No matter how drunk either of them got last night, there was no way they'd do that. Natsu was one hundred percent straight, and so was Gray! That's right, Gray was straight. He liked women. There was just some feminine qualities to Natsu that Gray only started noticing recently, and that was what made him so attracted to him.

Pink hair for one. Pink was the epitome of girl colors, so it was only natural to assume Natsu was a girly man.

Okay, so the pink hair was the only feminine quality Gray could think of for the moment, but he was sure, if given enough time, he'd be able to think up other qualities that Gray was attracted to in a woman that Natsu had.

By the time Natsu returned with a few dead small animals and fish, Gray had set up the firewood in a neat little pile. He didn't want to waste time trying to start a fire manually, since Natsu could just point his finger at the pile and it would burst into flames.

The two of them sat around the fire and cooked the meat, each saying only a few words here and there for small talk, both wondering what was taking the girls so long. Gray could only imagine the ferocity of the gossiping they were exchanging.

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Natsu asked, giving Happy a small fish that had finished cooking.

"Probably you," Gray said, leaning back. "I know there's no way Lucy didn't notice your help today."

"That's all it was! I swear!"

"Yeah, help, just a bit of fingering on the side, right? I know she didn't not notice you playing with her ass."

"Eh, I couldn't help it." Natsu put a hand behind his head and laughed.

Gray laughed with him, though he wasn't as cheerful as Natsu seemed to be. He knew, by now, that he wouldn't be able to act completely cheerful when talking about Natsu and Lucy's budding relationship. He wanted to be happy for them, he needed himself to be happy for them, but he just couldn't gather up the full excitement that a best friend would have for his friend's happy relationship.

Sighing, Gray stood up. Food was just about done, so he announced he was going to get the girls. As he was nearing the barn door, he was saved the trouble of interrupting the girls - they opened the door and made their way to the fire pit. Gray leaned against the wall of the barn and looked on the group as they began eating. He watched as Natsu was overly attentive to Lucy again.

Sighing, he couldn't help but wish Natsu paid that much attention to him. Sure they were best friends, by the constant insistent Erza gave them, and Natsu would give him more attention than the average Joe, but not as much as he was giving Lucy in that moment. He was jealous, and he hated that he felt that way so suddenly.

It was a bad feeling, especially when they were getting ready for some epic battle that was sure to happen the next day, over a sewing needle no less. He needed to fully prepared for anything, and he couldn't do that if he was fussing over this strange feeling over Natsu.

The only logical explanation he could come with was to wait. They would get through this job, get paid, then go home. When they were safely back in Magnolia, then Gray would bring up the issue. It was the only thing he could think of that would put his mind back in the game. Natsu might hate him later, but that was later he had to worry about. As long as Natsu didn't know Gray's true feelings for the time being, they'd all be able to do this without casualties.

With a nod, he locked the problem away, promising himself to bring it back to light once this was over. He pushed off the barn and joined his friends, all having a good time until bed, and then the real work would begin.


	4. Chapter 4

Magic

Chapter 4

Another night, another fit of lustful dreams. Though that was the case, Gray didn't mind it. It had been awhile since he felt that "excitement," and dream-loving on Natsu was perfectly fine. Nobody had to know who it was he dreaming about, except him. It was when he woke up that caused him more of his usual nerves.

The sun peeked through the trees, warming his face. He felt himself waking, feeling more than content with where he was, how he was feeling…Bring on the day! He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was pink. Despite the oddity of the color, especially in the middle of the forest, he didn't see any reason to be upset. He was feeling good, so why should he react any other way?

"Hmmrph…"

Well, he wanted to feel that way, but as soon as he realized it was Natsu who he was cuddling up against - and, by the sound of it, Natsu was waking up as well - Gray jumped and crab-walked as far and as fast away from Natsu as he could.

He had his arms around Natsu, and the other didn't seem to care! Then again, Natsu didn't usually wake up for anything, but it still would have been bad if he had woken up first instead of Gray.

Gray rolled over and placed his forehead against the cool ground. He and Natsu slept outside, after agreeing with Erza - who teased Natsu endlessly about his crush on Lucy - to let the girls sleep in the barn, making sure Natsu didn't sneak up on Lucy in her sleep.

In reality Gray was the one who ended up sneaking up on Natsu in their sleep, though he didn't realize it until he woke up just now. His heart was still pounding at the surprise of waking up next to Natsu. Not that it bothered him too much; it actually felt…nice. It felt right to wake up like that, but the fact that it felt right to Gray made him all the more uneasy.

This was just all too sudden! How was it possible that a completely straight guy suddenly developed feelings for his best friend, who also happened to be guy, in twenty-four hours?

"Gray? You okay?" Natsu sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, just had a surprising dream is all." Gray picked his head up and smiled at Natsu. "I'll be fine. Go wake up the girls so we can get going."

* * *

><p>They had found it, the house. The team had developed a plan for a surprise attack on all sides, so now each person stood against the outside wall of the house. Erza had taken the duty of the front. It was still early in the morning, so whether their enemy was still asleep or not was up in the air. No one could see any movement from inside the house, so Erza decided to walk in.<p>

The area around the house looked like it was part of any neighborhood - a white picket fence surrounding the property, beautiful green grass just inside the fence, flower beds, and even a mailbox. The house itself was small, a one story that was barely the size of the barn they stayed at the previous night.

There was no sign of any haystack, large or small, anywhere near the house. Upon approaching the house, Erza decided they take on the enemy, taking them prisoner and forcing them to give up the location of the needle. It seemed like a good plan, and, really, the only plausible one they could think of in a short amount of time.

It was Erza's duty to enter the house first and subdue their target. If she encountered any difficulties, Gray would step in, then Natsu, and finally Lucy. Hopefully, though, the enemy wasn't strong enough that all four of them would need to subdue him.

Gray looked up at the sky from his place against the wall in the back. Now really wasn't the time to be analyzing his dream, but he couldn't help it. He was alone, it was quiet, and his mind kept returning to the images his subconscious conjured up while he was sleeping. Honestly, was his mind and body against him? He wasn't a guy who liked other guys, especially Natsu!

He was never attracted to the muscular toned woman, so why was Natsu's body so appealing to him? The years and years of training had equipped him with a good body that it was actually rude of Gray not to be appreciative, right? Yeah, that's all it was; Gray was just being a good friend by thinking his friend looked good. Not just good, but downright sexy, and it was rude of Gray not to think so!

He closed his eyes and groaned. When he was touching the dream Natsu, it felt so real against his fingers. Natsu's body was so warm, but it didn't bother Gray in the least. In fact, it aroused him even more to feel the heat of Natsu's body wherever they touched. At first, it was just their hands touching, but even so, it felt like his body was on fire, a very pleasurable, comforting fire. He wanted to feel it again and again, and as Gray was throwing himself onto Natsu, other things happened, and before they knew it, Gray had Natsu on his stomach while Gray…

No! Can't think of that right now! Gray groaned. Damn his body betraying him. He opened his eyes and looked down. Yep, standing at attention. Great, how could this situation possibly get any worse? How sick would it be for Gray to battle the enemy with an erection? If someone were to see it they might get the wrong idea that might mean the end of his involvement in the team. They'd probably throw him with someone who gets his rocks off by fighting, and, honestly, Gray can't stand any of those people, even if they were in Fairy Tail.

Man, there were things his mind showed him that he didn't even know was possible. Apparently his subconscious seemed to expect Natsu to be very limber, very flexible.

Gray shuddered as the images raced through his mind. He had to stop thinking about those things! It was all Erza and Lucy's fault. If they had just charged in like Natsu had wanted to do, he wouldn't be standing out here, alone, with nothing but his memories of his dream to keep him company. Oh well, at least he was alone, right? No one around to see his pants tented.

The door flew open next to him. It almost caught him off guard, but after that quick second of being surprised he immediately jumped into action. He was standing right next to the door, so it wasn't difficult for him to catch the escapee using force instead of magic. He would have like to, but as he jumped on the man trying to run, they man tripped and fell on his face, Gray landing on top of him.

The man lay still under him, and Gray prayed that it wasn't because the man was getting poked in his leg. He leaned up, keeping his arms on the man's shoulders, holding him down, but the man still lay still. Erza ran out the door, and stopped and looked at the two on the ground.

"It looks like you knocked him out," she said, bending next to the man's head. "You tackled him onto a rock. He's not dead, though. Good job."

"That was disappointingly easy," Gray mumbled, moving to stand up. He sat on his knees, but stopped. He had forgotten about his erection for a second, and almost stood up to reveal it to Erza, who would have been eye to eye with it. Thankfully his pants were crumpled at the waist so it wouldn't be obvious.

Lucy and Natsu joined them, Lucy carrying a rope.

"Wow, good work, Gray!" Natsu exclaimed. "You killed him!" He pat Gray on the back, showing his big toothy smile. Gray blushed and looked away, very aware of the heat from Natsu's hand on his shoulder.

Erza grabbed the rope from Lucy and began tying his hands together. The man groaned, causing Natsu to jump, thinking the man was dead since no one denied it, and kicked the man on the ground. When they had him tied, Erza and Natsu picked him up and carried him into the house. Lucy followed, but stopped when she noticed Gray hadn't moved from his spot on the ground.

"You coming, Gray?" she asked.

Gray looked behind him and smiled at her. "Yeah. You go ahead, I'll follow." He slowly stood up, and tried to situate himself so his erection wasn't showing. It wasn't as hard as it was a moment ago, but it was still visible. Glancing behind him, he checked to see if Lucy was still there. She wasn't, so he took that opportunity to fix himself so it didn't seem obvious that he was aroused.

* * *

><p>AN: So so sooo sorry for the long wait. I've been busy, writer's block, sorta, and distracted with my manga reading. But, hey, I've been researching with all those yaoi that I've read, so it's not like it was pointless reading! Anyway, once again, thank you for the reviews/faves/alerts. They keep me wanting to update, so as long as I get something, I'll always put something up! I promise that the next chapter won't take 3 weeks. =)


	5. Chapter 5

Magic

Chapter 5

The group stood in an intimidating circle around their captive. He was awake, but he wasn't talking. His face was unrecognizable after Natsu and Erza tried to convince him to speak. Lucy continuously threw in her objections, not wanting to be involved in harming someone so shamelessly. But Erza would just smile, a not so friendly smile, and assure Lucy her conscience wasn't in danger.

Gray was standing behind Lucy, keeping quiet, and trying not to watch as Natsu used his muscles whenever he swung a punch, or did anything for that matter. Whenever someone asked for his opinion, he just shrugged and suggested they hit the man some more, which was why the man was so swollen to begin with.

"Okay," Erza said, backing away from the man tied to the chair. He smiled, or tried to, smugly. "There is no haystack anywhere near here, and, he won't tell us where it is. Either he's still being stubborn, or our employer's spy wasn't telling the truth."

"I don't know why he said this guy was so scary," Natsu mumbled, poking the man's cheek. "I mean, he was so easy to capture that it's almost impossible that he knows any magic at all."

"If he doesn't know any magic," Lucy threw in, "then why did we tie him up? We'd be able to stop him if he tried anything, right?"

"He knows magic, he just isn't using it." Erza bent at the waist, placing her face just inches from the man. "Why is that? Are you stalling for something?"

"Let's open his mouth and force him to make a noise," Natsu said, bending down next Erza. "Pull on his tongue or something."

Gray closed his eyes. Why did Natsu have to say something like that? His temper was rising, along with another body part. He clenched his fists, and pushed passed Lucy. He needed to get out of there, and the only way that was going to happen was when their hostage was going to talk.

He grabbed the man's shoulders, and picked him up. The others stared at him as he carried the man to the nearest room, and slammed the door shut.

Erza and Lucy looked at Natsu, expecting him to understand what was going on, but Natsu shrugged.

"I guess he's going to do something that's probably too intense for us?" Natsu guessed.

"What could be too intense for you or Erza?" Lucy asked. "It must be terrible."

Erza stared at the door, her eyebrows furrowed. Maybe Lucy was right, but what could so terrible that even Erza couldn't handle? They stood in silence, hoping they could at least hear something, screaming, shouting, sound effects, anything.

A few minutes later, Gray stepped out, looking calm and collected.

"The needle isn't here," he said, making his way to the front door. "His boss left right before we got here. He's headed for the next town over where a rich collector is going to buy it."

The team stared after him as he continued walking. They glanced in the room, but only saw the man tied to the chair, but his wise were wide and he was shivering. When he finally seemed to register that he was being looked at, the man flinched.

"He's crazy!" he shouted. "That guy is nuts! How can you hang out with someone like that?"

Natsu laughed as he followed Gray out the door, Erza and Lucy looked at each other, confused. They hadn't heard anything, but apparently Gray had done something so terrible that the man had been absolutely terrified. He was terrified enough to simply tell Gray everything they needed to know.

"What did he do to you?" Erza asked the man.

The man shook his head. "You don't wanna know, girlie. I tell you, he's insane. Get rid of him before he turns on you all."

Lucy pulled Erza's arm, pulling her out the house to follow the boys.

"What the hell did Gray do?" Erza asked as they ran to catch up with the boys, who had started running themselves.

* * *

><p>They found themselves back on the train an hour later, Lucy and Erza staring at Gray, who slouched in his seat and had his eyes closed. Natsu was limp on the seat next to him.<p>

"What did you do?" Erza asked again.

"None of your business," Gray mumbled again.

"What did you do?"

"None of your business."

"Tell me."

"None of your business."

"It is my business."

"Not really, no."

Lucy tugged at Erza's arm, and Erza quieted.

"Aren't you a little bit curious?" she asked Lucy, who shrugged.

"Let's go get a snack," she suggested. Erza sighed and stood, and the girls walked out.

Gray let out a heavy sigh. He was tired of the girls hassling him so much since they left that house. Like he'd tell them in front of Natsu. Hell, like he'd tell them at all! Honestly, all he did was talk to the man. It wasn't a very friendly conversation, a few death threats, an almost broken finger, maybe a little threat of doing things that he would only want to do with Natsu…

That man was absolutely terrified of the thought of having sex with another man. Good thing, too; Gray didn't want to have to do anything to the man, touch-wise - especially since he wanted his first man-man experience to be with Natsu.

No, when did he decided to have an experience? He was just speaking hypothetically, yeah, that's it. If he were to have any man-man relations, it'd be best if he did it with someone he could fully trust! That's it. He would only do it with Natsu because he trusted Natsu so much.

Speaking of which…Gray looked down at his inebriated friend. Natsu was in his usual motion sickness state, laying limp, his eyes blank, and a slight drool sliding down his cheek, pooling onto the seat cushion. Looking around, Gray was sure he was alone.

"Natsu? If you can hear me, moan, or wave a finger, or something."

Natsu remained silent. Gray sighed. Even in that mostly dead state, Natsu was still attractive. Even though the rest of him looked pale and clammy, his hair, splayed around his head in a feathery mess, looked soft and inviting. Inviting how, Gray didn't really know, but he knew he wanted to touch it.

Looking around again, he made sure they were absolutely alone. Looking back down at Natsu, Gray held out his hand, and gently pushed Natsu's pink hair off the boy's forehead. Gray felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt amazing, just that tiny touch, he just had to do it again. He placed his palm on Natsu's head, and ran it over the soft locks. He did it again, and a third time. The fourth time, he used his fingers to gently brush Natsu's hair. The hair tickled his fingers, and he couldn't help a soft smile form on his lips.

Natsu looked a little more relaxed while Gray petted and brushed him. His inebriated expression didn't look so terrible anymore. His facial features had softened a bit. That bit of drool was still an eyesore, however. Gray took Natsu's scarf, for lack of a better tool, and gently wiped the drool off his mouth. Butterflies fluttered around in Gray's stomach, and he couldn't take his eyes off Natsu for a second.

Honestly, Natsu didn't look so terrible anymore. He looked like he was sleeping, but with blank eyes open. Without another thought, or argument, Gray leaned over, and gently placed his lips against Natsu's. Despite Natsu looking so sickly, his lips were soft, and warm. Gray couldn't take his eyes off Natsu's own as the rose haired boy gently lowered his eye lids.

Gray smiled, not a single doubt in his mind. Whether Natsu realized he was being kissed or not, Gray didn't care. He placed his hand Natsu's hair and started stroking again, and with each passing second, Natsu's eyes slowly closed, as if he was finally relaxed enough to sleep through the train trauma.

"Gray? What are you doing?"

Gray jumped up, letting out a small noise that couldn't quite be called a shriek, but that's what it was more or less. He placed the back of his hand against his mouth, embarrassed to be face to face with Happy. The little blue cat looked between the two while Gray tried to come up with a believable excuse.

"He's sleeping," Happy noted. "What did you do to help him?"

"Uhm, CPR?" Gray stuttered. Happy smiled at Gray, who just shrugged and smiled back before quickly looking out the window, his cheeks bright red. He placed his chin in his hand, his lips forming a small smile.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here you go! A long chapter to make up for the long wait. I hope you won't be disappointed, okay, I think you will, but in a good way! I have all next to week to sit on my computer and type, so I hope to get another chapter up sooner.

* * *

><p>Magic<p>

Chapter 6

"I feel so refreshed!" Natsu stretched as the group exited the train. He looked the picture of health, which surprised everyone as he bounced onto the platform, carrying a stranger's baggage. He set the two suitcases down, and the old man paid him.

"Ah, Natsu," Lucy said, putting her hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Don't make him pay you. You're the one who walked up to him and grabbed his stuff."

Natsu blinked, his eyes widening at the thought of having to give the money back. He looked back at the old man, who just waved his hand, shooing Natsu and Lucy back to their group. Natsu smiled widely and grabbed Lucy, picking her up and carrying her over to where Gray, Erza, and Happy were waiting, dodging Lucy's kicks and flailing arms.

"Why is Natsu so energetic all of a sudden?" Erza asked, glancing at Gray, who shrugged in response.

"It's because Gray gave Natsu CPR," Happy said, floating by their shoulders. "Natsu fell into a deep sleep when he was done." Gray grabbed the flying feline and stuffed him in the nearest trash can. Erza raised an eyebrow at him, but Gray shrugged.

Natsu gently set Lucy down, letting his hand linger on her waist for a moment before she stepped away from him. Gray bit his cheek and turned away, not needing a visual reminder that Natsu liked her. It was obvious they had a bigger chance of getting together than he did getting together with Natsu.

Erza grabbed the back of Natsu's vest and pulled him towards the doors of the train station, the others following.

"We need to stop fooling around," Erza said, letting Natsu go. The group stood at the top of the stairs, looking around at the bustling town, each person they watched a suspect. "We need to find a rich collector who is interested in buying the stolen needle."

"So where do we look first?" Natsu asked, cracking his knuckles. He froze for a second, then turned to Lucy. "Hey, you're experienced with rich people. Where do they usually buy stuff illegal?"

Lucy placed her hands on her hips. "How would I know? My dad was legit."

"We can split up," Gray suggested. "Look around in the local pawn shops, or follow anyone who looks like they could afford it, or ask someone who would look suspicious."

Erza nodded. "Right. Lucy, you come with me. Natsu and Happy should go with Gray. If you find anyone, follow him first before jumping in with the obvious questions."

* * *

><p>The boys exited their tenth pawn shop, with no more luck in finding their rich collector. Happy sat on a bench, waiting for them. When he saw them, he flew up and hovered in the air by Natsu's shoulder.<p>

"Any luck?" Natsu asked.

"Nope. They thought they found the rich guy, but apparently he was into a different type of thing he was looking to buy."

"What was that?" Gray asked, looking down the street.

"Naked women."

Natsu choked and Gray placed his hand on his forehead. The cat was so blunt that it took them by surprise. Natsu broke out laughing and followed as Gray quickly made his way down the street.

"I wish we found something that interesting," Natsu exclaimed. "Just some old people, and a guy who grabbed my ass, but he was taken care of."

Gray covered his mouth to keep himself from making a noise. It actually wasn't some random guy, like Natsu thought. They were in a crowd, and Gray couldn't help himself; his hand moved on its own. Luckily for him, Natsu thought it came from someone on the opposite side of Gray.

It was a nice ass to grab, though. Gray held up the hand that did the grabbing, and praised it. He contemplated whether he should wash it or not.

Natsu placed a hand on Gray's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Natsu said. "We'll find him sooner or later."

Gray couldn't help the slight blush from forming on cheeks. Natsu glanced at him, and noticed his friend's cheeks turning pink. He pulled on Gray's shoulder, stopping him. Gray blinked at him, confused why Natsu stopped them. Natsu opened his mouth to start speaking, just as someone came running down the sidewalk, bumping into Natsu, pushing the pink haired boy closer to Gray. Gray instantly wrapped his arms around Natsu's waist, his reflexes working on their own, trying to stop Natsu from falling.

Natsu's hands were placed on Gray's chest. Gray could feel the heat of the other's palms, and was glad that he had it in his mind not to randomly remove his shirt like he was known to do. Natsu took a moment to regain his composure, then realized where he was. He blinked up at Gray, who's cheeks had gone darker. Natsu used his hands to keep himself from being any closer to Gray, and he couldn't help the anger that was bubbling inside him.

He wasn't angry at Gray, but he felt awkward in that position, and the awkwardness was turning into anger. He pushed away from Gray and turned toward the direction where the kid who had bumped into them had gone. He zeroed in on the retreating back, and immediately took chase.

Gray needed a moment to realize what happened. Again his mind was filled with images and situations that involved Natsu being close to him like a few seconds ago. He could still feel the warmth of Natsu's hands through his shirt. He had to look down to make sure his shirt wasn't on fire.

It wasn't.

And then, why did Natsu pull away so quickly? Was he able to feel Gray's feelings? Did he get embarrassed being so close in a sort of embrace with another man like Gray? Gray didn't mind.

Happy pulled on Gray's shirt collar, pulling Gray back to reality.

"Gray! Wake up!" the cat was yelling. "Natsu ran off! We have to go get him!"

Gray took off after Natsu, not needing to ask anymore questions. Natsu blindly chasing some kid could not end well, in any circumstance. He had to stop Natsu from hurting the kid. They were in the middle of the day, with so many people around, it could only end disastrous. Besides, Gray didn't want the kid hurt in any way. If it wasn't for the kid, he wouldn't have been able to hold a conscious Natsu. He wanted to personally thank the kid.

He followed the pink haired boy, keeping his sight on the only flash of pink in his vision. He even called out to Natsu a few times, but he could tell his friend was so pissed that he probably couldn't hear him. Finally, Natsu turned a corner, disappearing into an alley. Gray followed at top speed, and nearly ran into Natsu.

Natsu and the kid were staring at each other, both breathing heavily. Gray stood behind Natsu, ready to step in at any time if he needed to.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Natsu asked. Gray glanced down at Natsu's hands, and became alert. Natsu had his hands clenched so tightly into fists that his arms were shaking. It suddenly dawned on Gray that Natsu was just a little overly angry. He had no reason to be so angry to this kid - and he was literally a kid, about twelve or thirteen.

The kid looked around, but he was trapped. There was a solid brick wall behind him, and the walls of the buildings on either side of the alley weren't too far apart. The kid was scrawny, so it didn't look like would be able to physically overpower Gray and Natsu, and, for being just a kid, he was most likely only a rookie in using magic, if he could at all.

"I'll ask again," Natsu growled. "Where are you going, and why didn't you apologize for running into me?"

"Ah, jeeze, Natsu, really?" Gray grabbed Natsu's shoulder. "You're pissed because he didn't apologize?"

Natsu jerked out of Gray's grasp. "More or less." Gray wasn't sure, but it seemed like Natsu was keeping Gray from seeing his face, always turning when Gray tried to see him.

Natsu pointed at the kid. "Answer me, kid, or I'll have to seriously hurt you!"

"Listen, man, it wasn't my fault," the kid pleaded, putting his hands up, palms facing Natsu. "They were chasing me. I didn't have time to stop and chat."

Gray turned around. If someone else was chasing the kid, maybe they still were. He sent Happy to keep a look out. The kid backed up, Natsu following him step for step, until the kid's back hit the wall, his hands still up.

"Careful, Natsu," Gray muttered under his breath. He wasn't sure if Natsu heard him, but Gray was suddenly on his guard. He didn't trust this kid, and he hoped Natsu didn't either.

"I'm so sorry," the kid said, placing his hands on the brick wall behind him. He sniffed as tears started running down his cheeks. "Just don't let them catch me."

Natsu relaxed a bit. "Who's chasing you? We can help you."

The kid shook his head and looked down. "No one can help me. They won't stop until I'm dead."

Natsu glanced back to Gray, then looked at the kid. Gray shook his head. He still didn't trust the kid, but he could pity him a little, though not as much as Natsu obviously was. He took a step towards the kid.

"You wouldn't happen to know where we can find a jewel encrusted sewing needle, would you?" he asked.

The kid abruptly started laughing. Gray quickly moved, stepping towards Natsu just as the kid's hands glowed. The light glowed until it was impossible to keep their eyes open. Gray covered his eyes, but still moved forward, trying to find Natsu. He realized that Natsu was going after the kid, but he didn't get there.

The light suddenly disappeared and the wall behind the kid exploded, sending bits of brick and mortar flying in every which way. The dust was unbearable, but Gray was determined to find Natsu. He pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose, and ran towards the exploded wall. The longer it took to find Natsu, the greater his anxiety grew.

Natsu had run to the kid, but just how close did he get before the kid blew up the wall?

Gray flapped his hands in front of his face, trying to clear the dust, but it didn't work. He called for Natsu, but the atmosphere around him was eerily quiet. He took a few more steps, then he saw a blur of pink on the ground. Gray sprinted to Natsu, who had been knocked down. He dropped to the ground next to Natsu and rolled him over so he was laying on his back.

"Natsu! Can you hear me?" Gray looked around. It was weird how quiet it was. Did the blast make a sound? He couldn't remember. He looked down at the unconscious boy, and slapped his cheeks. He seemed unharmed, but Gray couldn't be entirely sure.

He put his hands on either side of Natsu's head, gently moving his hands to find any injuries. There was no blood, so Gray had to carefully inspect all of Natsu to make sure he didn't break anything. He moved his hands down the boy's neck, then his shoulders.

He stopped. What was he doing? He knew this was for the good of Natsu's health, but Gray couldn't help but think of some erotic imaginings. How he would love if he weren't checking for broken bones on Natsu, but actually touching his body for other, more enjoyable purposes.

No, Gray. Concentrate. What if Natsu had seriously hurt himself? And here you are thinking of other things!

Ah, hell…

Gray continued his roaming, for health purposes only, but he leaned down and placed his lips against Natsu's again. No one was around this time, and Natsu was already passed out, so he wasn't as gently as on the train. He trailed his hands down Natsu's abdomen, slowing down to examine the muscles more carefully.

If only Natsu was awake, he'd be able to explore his mouth. Gray didn't want to force Natsu's mouth open, afraid how it'd feel, but he was just contented with placing their lips together while he rubbed Natsu's muscular middle.

A small shard of brick fell on Gray's head, causing him to pull away from Natsu quickly. Okay, so, Natsu was fine. He looked around, but they were still in the middle of dust and silence. It reminded him of the North, on dark, snowy nights. He couldn't help but become nostalgic, remembering standing in the middle of a heavy snowfall, everything silent as if he were the only human in the world.

He took a deep breath, almost smelling the cold from back then…then he realized he could breathe normally in the midst of the dust. He wasn't breathing in dust particles.

"Gray?"

Gray looked down to see his friend awake. He smiled down at Natsu, thankful that he didn't wake up a few seconds before.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, holding his head as he sat up.

"The kid blew up that wall," Gray said. "I don't really know what happened after that. I only wanted to find you."

Natsu blinked up at him, thinking that that was an odd thing to say, but he shrugged it off. He stood up, brushing dust off his pants, then froze. He registered where he was, and what was going on in his surroundings.

"Uh, what happened?" he asked again.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I have a feeling it's part of that magic that kid used." He helped Natsu to stand up, holding onto Natsu's hand firmly.

When Natsu was standing, Gray continued to hold his hand. Natsu tried to pull away, but Gray didn't let go. Natsu became worried as Gray smiled down at him. It wasn't anything big, but it still made Natsu nervous.

"Gray, let go of me." Natsu tried to pull his hand out of Gray's, but Gray still held on.

Natsu pulled again, and Gray let him be pulled into Natsu. Natsu didn't expect Gray to bump into him, and the two toppled over. Natsu began pushing Gray off, but Gray had him pinned. Natsu struggled underneath him, trying to push him off, or crawl out from under him, or something that didn't involve him using magic. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he will if Gray didn't get off soon.

"Gray, what are you doing? Get off me!"

Without another word, Gray leaned down and placed his lips against Natsu's, who froze. Natsu was too surprised to do anything, and Gray took that as an invitation to go further. He pressed his tongue into Natsu's frozen mouth, and explored. The warmth from Natsu's mouth was more than Gray had ever dreamed. It wasn't overwhelming, and it sent shivers throughout Gray's body.

He felt himself growing hard, and he shifted, placing his legs on either side of Natsu's body to make himself more comfortable.

Natsu regained his composure, and closed his eyes, trying to wriggle away from Gray again. Gray gently bit Natsu's bottom lip, then kissed his way down Natsu's neck. He couldn't believe Natsu was letting him do this. But, hey, it was a dream, right? When had Natsu ever refused him in a dream?

"Gray, stop it." Natsu breathed out. Gray smiled as he felt Natsu grow hard underneath him, and he moved his hips, grinding, promising of what was to come. Gray moved his kisses downward, adding in some licks and nibbles, reveling in the feel of Natsu shivering underneath him.

Gray let go of Natsu's wrists, and brought his hands to Natsu's abdomen again, kneading and massaging like he had been doing earlier. He moved Natsu's vest out of the way, giving him access to Natsu's left nipple. He licked it, then gently bit it.

"Okay, Gray, it's time to seriously stop now." Natsu's breathing became ragged as Gray was grinding his hips again. Gray moved to the other nibble, and proceeded to kiss, lick, and nibble it as well. His hand gently made its way into the band of Natsu's pants. Natsu jerked, and tried to pull free from Gray again, but Gray put his other arm on Natsu's chest, just above where Gray was giving attention to his nipples, holding him down.

Gray glanced up to see Natsu's reaction as Gray moved his hand fully into Natsu's pants, and quickly grabbed hold of Natsu's member. The other boy grunted and jerked, trying to free himself from under Gray, but Gray held him down. Natsu's eyes were closed tightly, his cheeks flushed, and he covered his mouth with his hand to keep from crying out. Gray smiled as he started moving his hand, stroking Natsu until he started breathing heavier.

Natsu shook his head and tried again to free himself, but he was at the mercy of Gray now. Gray chuckled as he resumed kissing down Natsu's body. He used the hand that was stroking Natsu to pull down Natsu's pants.

Natsu could tell what Gray was about to do, and he couldn't help shivering again. He shook his head, not understanding why his friend was doing those things. It was the effects of that kid's magic, it had to be. Why else would Gray act this way?

He felt something warm and wet touch the head of his cock, and his eyes flew open. He couldn't help himself. He called the minimum amount of power in his fist and punched Gray off him. He used more strength than he had intended, and he sent Gray flying off him.

Natsu backed up from Gray a few feet, pulling his pants in place. Gray had landed a few feet away from him, on his stomach. He pushed himself up, but only up to his knees. His hands clenched to fists as he glared at the ground.

"Gray, what happened to you? Why did you do that?" Natsu slowly stood up, and took a step towards Gray, prepared to fight back if he needed to.

Gray shook his head and he smiled up at Natsu, his right cheek sporting a large red area where Natsu had punched him.

"I have no idea what happened," Gray said. He sat back on his heels and looked around. "It must be this dust, or that kid's magic or something." He looked up at Natsu who had taken a few more steps closer. "I'm so sorry, Natsu. I didn't know what came over me."

Natsu held out his hand to Gray, and Gray accepted the help in standing up, then let go almost as soon as he was sure he could stand without further help. Natsu folded his arms over his chest and looked around.

"Now let's figure out a way to get of here." Natsu placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, then started walking. _And never speak of this again…_

Gray watched Natsu walk away from him. He bit his bottom lip to keep from crying. He couldn't cry, not in front of Natsu. It wasn't an affect of the kid's magic, it was all his own doing. Why didn't he stop, though? He sighed and followed Natsu. He needed to talk to about this, explain to Natsu what happened.

When this was over, he will talk to Natsu, go back to his original plan of just wanting this job to get over and done with.


	7. Chapter 7

Magic  
>Chapter 7<p>

Their attempt was fairly quiet. Lucy and Erza had managed to pass the time without seeing any sign of the man they were looking for. In fact, they seemed to be having a please stroll throughout town.

Lucy sighed, annoyed by the lack of action; though she did enjoy her one on one time with Erza.

"I wonder if Natsu and Gray are having better luck?" she asked. "I want to get this over with and go home."

"I agree," Erza mumbled. "We still have to be on our guard, though. This wasn't listed as S-class for no reason."

A wave of nerves fluttered through Lucy's belly. That's right. This was an S-class mission. She hoped she'd be able to pull through a fight without burdening any of her teammates.

She felt Erza bump her elbow. She looked up to see her friend giving her a warm smile.

"When the time comes, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Lucy felt her cheeks flush from a mixture of appreciation, anticipation, and excitement. Only Erza could make her feel so useful and appreciated.

In fact, she wasn't fazed as a flying blue cat suddenly latched onto her head crying out their names. If anything, the presence of Happy only made her feelings stronger.

"Natsu and Gray are in trouble!" he squeaked, not waiting for the two girls to acknowledge him.

Lucy and Erza both looked in the direction the little cat flew from, both suddenly on their guard.

"What happened?" Erza asked.

Suddenly, the ground shook as an explosion could be heard not far from where they stood. Smoke billowed into the air and immediately people started screaming and running in the opposite direction of the explosion. The two girls tried to push their way through the crowd, attempting to go the opposite direction of the flow of the panicked population. Erza grabbed a hold of Lucy's hand, not wanting them to be separated.

Happy flew above her head. He noticed an empty alleyway, so he pulled her hair and pointed toward the side.

Lucy was pushed and pulled in the midst of the crowd. If not for Erza, she probably would have toppled over and been trampled on. When they reached the quiet of the alley, she felt herself sink to the ground, appreciative of the emptiness.

Erza allowed her friend a few seconds of rest before she pulled Lucy's hand making her stand.

"Let's go," she ordered. Lucy and Happy nodded, and the three of them rushed towards the explosion.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Gray walked through the smoke. It seemed like they wren trapped in a large dome, their visibility close to nonexistent. The walls of the alley had disappeared, as well as everything that was scattered on the ground.<p>

"What the hell is going on" Natsu mumbled under his breath.

Gray, having returned to his senses, shook his head. "I don't know, but it's pissing me off. Don't use your magic until we can figure what it is. We don't want you to blow us up if it's flammable."

The rosette gawked at his friend, though secretly glad to see the old Gray again. Whatever happened back there now seemed like a distant dream. Of course Gray wouldn't do that to him! They were both guys. Besides, Gray had Juvia to satisfy any sexual needs he may have had, and, likewise, Natsu had Lucy, though Lucy has yet to allow him access to her sexual self.

Natsu sighed and brought himself back to the problem at hand:

Gray just insulted his self-control!

"I wasn't going to use any magic in the first place," Natsu shot back. "At least, not until I get my hands on that little bastard."

Gray stopped walking. They were going nowhere, everything looked the same. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Natsu's arm to keep him from wandering too far away. Natsu looked back questioningly, but Gray's focus was upwards. Following Gray's gaze, Natsu glanced upwards, wondering if Gray had seen something, a clue in getting out of this foggy mess. There was nothing but a thick fog, the same cloud that swirled around them.

Looking back down at Gray, he noticed the other boy looking around them now. It seemed like a good idea, looking around one's surroundings to get a good feel of where they were. Well, again, there was nothing a thick fog. Natsu knew they were still in the alley - they had to be - but he also noticed the lack of rubble, walls from the buildings that were on either side of him. In fact, he hadn't seen anything since Gray pulled him off the wall earlier.

Gray let go of Natsu's arm and knelt to the ground. He waved his hand at the fog, trying to get it move, but it didn't. He hadn't seen his feet in awhile, and he was starting to wonder if they were even on the ground anymore. Either this was some type of strange magic he had never heard of, or…

Looking back up at Natsu, a sense of dread flowed down his body. Would that explosion be strong enough to kill them? Natsu, maybe, since he was so close to the kid when he blew up the wall. Natsu's eyebrows furrowed, obviously not having come up with the same conclusion he had. Gray couldn't bear the thought of Natsu being dead. He didn't give two shits if his own self was dead, but not Natsu…

Standing up quickly, Gray reached out and grabbed Natsu's cheek, grabbing the skin with his forefinger and thumb, and pinched as hard as he could. The dead can't feel pain, right? So, if the pinch hurts, then they weren't dead!

Natsu blinked at Gray, the raven haired boy slowly feeling the dread fill his whole body. Suddenly Natsu brought his arm back and punched Gray in the face, as hard as the rosette possibly could, sending Gray flying back, landing on his back. The beauty of it was that it hurt….a lot. With a smile, Gray haggardly pushed himself up, wincing as a slight pain ran through his body and focused on his cheek were Natsu punched him.

Natsu was on Gray in a split second, grabbing his shirt with clenched fists. His eyes were flaming, his body was hot. There was a little red spot on his cheek, which Gray thought was tremendously cute considering the situation.

"That hurt, you bastard!" Natsu yelled. "You're standing there, acting all quiet and mysterious and suddenly you pinch me! What the fuck was that for?"

Gray smiled, more than relieved that they weren't dead. They both felt their pain just now, so they were only stuck in some sort of magic that they had never experienced. Gray placed his hand around Natsu's head and brought the boy closer, forcefully putting their lips together. Natsu was only stunned for a moment, realizing that what had happened before might repeat itself, and he wasn't quite okay with it.

Natsu unclenched his fists and pushed against Gray's chest, trying to break away from the kiss, but Gray's hand held him close. Natsu really didn't want to punch his friend again, but if Gray was going to try this again, he might not have a choice.

Natsu's body was fire against Gray's body, but, instead of hurting, it only excited Gray more. He hadn't intended on taking it this far - honestly, he was just so happy that they weren't dead that he suddenly started kissing the other boy - but the more Natsu fought against him, the more he wanted the rosette boy.

Memories of what happened a few moments ago flooded Natsu's mind, and he could feel anxious that it might happen again. Even if Gray had been a girl, this was the wrong place and the wrong time to even be thinking about doing those things to one another. At the moment, he wasn't sure if he had hated the feeling of Gray's tongue touching his most sensitive body part; there were other things going on in his mind to really assess it, just like now. They needed to get out of wherever they were, not sit there with lips locked and Gray's tongue trying to force its way into Natsu's mouth.

Natsu brought his fist back, allowing small sparks of flame bounce off his skin. He only wanted to test heating his body up to the point where it became too unbearable for Gray to be so close to him anymore. The only way he knew how to do this was to set himself on fire, but without the risk of hurting his friend.

Gray could feel the heat of Natsu's body, which he thought was a bit odd. Opening his eyes, the sparking flames of Natsu's fist caught his attention. His eyes widened when he realized what was going on around those flames.

Gray pulled back, his eyes fixated on Natsu's fist. A flame would appear, but the fog around them seemed to almost repel from it.

Natsu stopped the flames, content with Gray not kissing him anymore. He leaned back, and ran his hand through his hair. "Man, we have to get out here. It's really starting to mess with your head."

Gray scooted back a bit. "Natsu, set something on fire."

Natsu blinked and stared at his friend with a blank expression. That seemed pretty random and out of nowhere, and what did either of them have that he could set on fire without hurting themselves?

Gray took off his shirt and threw it on the ground in front of Natsu. Taking the hint, Natsu carefully set a small flame onto the fabric, igniting it immediately. The two boys noticed the change in the fog almost immediately. The smoky substance around them repelled from the flaming shirt, revealing the dirt from the ground upon which they stood.

Natsu smirked, and rubbed his hands together. "I want to apologize, Frosty, but it's about to get extremely hot in here."

Gray smirked back, not fazed in the slightest by the nickname. He backed away from the human inferno as Natsu began conjuring a fireball. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it out unscathed, but as long as they made it out alive, he didn't care.

Natsu held his hands toward the ground, the flame swirling under his palms, the fog instantly disintegrating and flowing madly around the heat. The atmosphere around the two began to clear - they could see the ground, everything around them started becoming clearer as the flame grew. Once the fireball reached from the ground to Natsu's waist, the fire mage began waving his arms around, clearing the fog away as he did so.

The heat hit Gray, and he slumped to the ground. Taking his clothes off right then seemed like a good idea, but watching Natsu throw the fire around stirred Gray's lower regions, and he didn't want to make Natsu any more uncomfortable than he probably already was. Besides, if they got out of this mess soon, he didn't want anyone to see him with a full erection.

Just watching his companion spin and wave that fire around conjured images in Gray's mind. The way Natsu's muscles moved painted a picture of what the boy would look like, sitting on top of Gray, riding him furiously, his cheeks bright red from feeling the pleasure of Gray's dick inside him, Gray's hand pumping the boy's cock as they both get closer and closer to a climax.

Looking down, Gray noticed his hand in his pants. He wasn't sure when he put it there, but his hand was working overtime at the images in his mind. It didn't take him long before he released, wetting the inside of his boxers with that sticky, wet substance.

Natsu held his hands above his head, the fire having cleared a fair amount of the fog around them by then. Gray moved closer to the source of his torment, away from any remaining smoke, hoping that by moving closer to the source, the fire wouldn't get him - though the heat was almost unbearable at that point. Gray could feel his body shaking, not used to that much heat. If it wasn't about life or death, he would have forced Natsu to stop, but he wanted out of there as much as the other guy, and this was the only way.

If only he could get a drink of water, or maybe conjure some ice to cool him down a little, but he couldn't do it. He stuck out his hands, but nothing appeared. It was too hot, the water in the air had all evaporated at that point.

"Hurry, Natsu," he rasped, setting himself down by the other boy's feet.

Natsu pushed his hands once more, sending the fire exploding around them. Gray closed his eyes and hid his face as he endured that last blast of heat.

* * *

><p>Erza and Lucy were almost to the explosion site, Happy flying in front, leading the way. They ran as fast as they could, not paying any attention to their surroundings, hoping to get to Natsu and Gray as fast as possible, until, as they came upon another crossroads in the alleys, Lucy stumbled, falling forward. She immediately sat up, ignoring the pain shooting through her body.<p>

She glanced down the crossing alley and saw a boy, leaning against the brick wall a few yards away from her. He held his stomach, and was leaning over. He looked like he was in pain. Had he been caught in the explosion? Did something ricochet and hit him? She stood up and made her way over to him.

Erza stopped, noticing Lucy not running with her anymore. She walked back, not curious in the least what had caught Lucy's attention; they had to keep moving if they expected to get to their friends in time.

Lucy bent over so she was eye level with the boy. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The boy jumped and backed away from her. He seemed frightened at first, but once he registered that it was just a girl, he glared and spat at her. "Get the fuck away from me, bitch."

Lucy blinked and straightened up. Her fists clenched, but she refused to hit the little brat.

Erza, however, suddenly appeared behind the kid and grabbed his shirt collar, raising him the air so he was face to face with her.

"Hey, kid, aren't you too young to be talking like that?"

The boy struggled, but Erza was stronger…he wasn't going anywhere. Kicking his feet, the boy grumbled and grunted.

Happy hovered over Erza's shoulder, recognition suddenly hitting him. "That's the one who Natsu was chasing," he squeaked. "He was the one who caused the explosion!"

Erza's glare became deadly, making the boy stop struggling and wet his pants. He reached into his pocket and threw out the glinting object.

"Fine, take it! I don't understand why you people want it so bad, anyway. It only belonged to some pervert anyway."

Lucy picked up the object, and gasped. It was the needle they were looking for. She was surprised to see it golden, and encrusted in tiny diamonds. Who decorated a sewing needle like that?

She pocketed the needle and waited for Erza to finish with the boy.

"Who else wanted that thing?" she asked.

The boy opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a sudden explosion happened behind Lucy - causing her to jump and fall to the ground, her hands over her head - as a ball of fire suddenly appeared. Erza lowered the boy a little - without letting up on her grip - and watched in amazement as two figures took shape as the fire died down.

Natsu slumped to the ground next to Gray, who looked as if he had been knocked out. Taking a deep breath, Natsu placed a hand behind his head and gave his friends a wide smile.

"That took a lot more energy than I expected," he said, before the realization that they had finally escaped hit him, and he fell onto Gray, passing out.

* * *

><p>-A week later, back at Fairy Tail-<p>

Lucy and Natsu sat at a table, Lucy separating the money into four equal parts, Natsu stuffing his face with a random assortment of foods.

The needle had been returned safely to its original owner. Erza managed to squeeze information about an organized underworld crime group who specialized in the trafficking of rare and valuable goods. After extracting that information, she took on a side solo-mission and destroyed that organization. Natsu and Gray were forced to stay in a hotel for two days to recover while Lucy and Erza returned the needle. When the boys awoke, the group immediately made their way back home.

Lucy stretched her arms over her head, finally finished with distributing the money. She pocketed her share and pushed Natsu's share to him. He grabbed the money and shoved it in his pocket, not missing a bite of his food.

"I'll need you to take Gray his share," Lucy said, picking up Erza's share and tapping it, making sure the pile was uniform and neat.

At the mention of Gray, Natsu dropped his chicken leg and stared at Lucy. Naturally, Natsu had been avoiding Gray the whole time they had been back - which seemed fairly easy considering Gray seemed to be avoiding him as well - and he didn't think he was ready to face Gray just yet. The things Gray did to him when they were stuck in the smoke bubble didn't erase itself from Natsu's memory, and he was sure Gray remembered it as well. He wasn't comfortable being alone with Gray.

Natsu laughed at himself. Uncomfortable in Gray's presence? Like anyone would be uncomfortable around that walking popsicle. Natsu knew that the things Gray did were initiated because the smoke somehow affected him. Honestly, it affected Natsu as well. Had Gray done any of those things on a normal day, Natsu would have beat that guy to a bloody pulp without any remorse.

Grabbing the money off the table, Natsu stood and made his way out of the Fairy Tail headquarters, on his way to Gray's place.  
>-line break-<br>Gray was ashamed, to say the least. Even though it had been a few weeks since that event happened, and they were all healed and healthy, he still couldn't believe that he did what he did. After he woke up in the hotel room, the memory of him masturbating in front of Natsu mortified him, and he had been unable to look Natsu in the face since then. Even now, he cowardly hid in his room, not wanting to risk running into his friend.

Gray laid on his bed, his arm over his eyes.

What if Natsu had seen him? Gray didn't give Natsu the time to explain whether he had seen it or not. If he did, add on all the other things Gray did to him in that place, and Natsu would show up with an intent to kill.

But, was it Gray's fault that Natsu was incredibly attractive? Was it Gray's fault that the images of Natsu brought erotic things to mind? Gray wouldn't exactly blame Natsu, either, but any guy in Gray's situation would probably have done the same.

Gray suddenly remembered the feel of Natsu's manhood against his tongue. If only the boy had allowed him more time than that split second. The organ had been burning hot, and it burned Gray's tongue a little.

Presently, Gray could feel his tongue tingling at the memory. He stuck his tongue out and gently touched it with the tip of his finger. Closing his eyes, he could visualize Natsu laying under him, in full detail, like in his memory, only this time he wasn't struggling. He wrapped his tongue around his finger, and smirked as his imaginary Natsu gasped and twitched. His imaginary lover whispered sweet words of encouragement, gasping aloud as Gray began sucking.

_"Aah…Gray…don't…ah ah…"_

Gray grunted as his own dick twitched, asking for attention. He removed his finger from his mouth and quickly placed his hand in his pants. Imaginary Natsu rolled over, showing off his firm, smooth ass, begging for Gray to penetrate.

_"Fuck me, Gray…"_

Gray rolled over and moved his hips, pumping into his hand, imagining it was Natsu underneath him. He imagined the bed rocking hard against the wall.

Knock…knock…knock…

_"Gray…ah…yes…harder…"_

Gray thrusted faster.

"Gray?"

"Ah, god, Natsu…"

Knock…knock…knock…"Gray, open up! I've got the mission money!"

He opened his eyes, brought back to the real world. Natsu wasn't under him, he was outside his home. He pulled his hand away and rolled off his bed, trying his hardest to hide all evidence of what he had been doing. He had already taken his shirt off, he adjusted his pants, ruffled his hair, and opened the door.

Natsu held up the bag of money. Gray took the bag and bounced it in his hand. "Bout time," he grumbled, sending Natsu a smile.

The rosette shrugged. "It was a lot. Not to mention Lucy was the one counting. Apparently she lost her place a few times."

"Thank you."

The boys stared at each other for a moment, both thinking the same thing, but with different emotions to accompany it. Gray wanted nothing more than to grab his Salamander and ravage him, and Natsu wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave.

Clearing his throat, Natsu nodded. "You're welcome," he mumbled. He turned around to leave, but Gray called out to him.

"I want to say I'm sorry for everything that happened."

Gray knew Natsu was feeling uneasy about the whole thing, but he still wanted to patch things up. He wouldn't be able to bear it if he and Natsu were no longer friends because of something so simple as what had happened - was it really so simple?

Natsu shrugged and smiled. "Forget it. Nothing actually happened. It was just the effects of the smoke, anyway."

Gray held out his hand, offering it for a handshake. Natsu looked at it a bit warily, almost as if it were a snake and was going to bite him. In the end, he took Gray's hand, and they shook.

"Still friends?" Gray asked.

"Yeah," Natsu replied, nodding.

"Good." Gray tightened his hand on Natsu's and pulled him so he was against Gray's chest. Gray placed his hand behind Natsu's head and kissed him, deeply, but briefly. He immediately let go. "That's a promise." He smirked and closed the door, leaving Natsu staring at the door, wide eyed, mouth hanging open.

A promise for what? He would be okay if it were a promise to stay friends, but what if Gray meant something else?

Natsu turned around and ran from Gray's room, not wanting to stick around any longer to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, but I do own the OC's. **

**Magic**

**Chapter 8**

It was at least a month before Gray set eyes on Natsu again.

After leaving his place that day, Natsu raced back to Fairy Tail, his mind in such a jumble - a feeling he wasn't used to, and it irritated him. His fists clenched the whole journey back to the guild. Again, what was Gray thinking? The frost mage had to have had some sort of remnants of the fog magic in his system. That was the only explanation.

As soon as he returned to the guild, he made a beeline for the job board. If that fog magic fogged his friend's mind into thinking that he could do those things, then probably Natsu just had to disappear for awhile. He figured taking a job would be the best way to stay away from Gray so the he could cool his head, literally and figuratively speaking. Maybe, with Natsu out of sight, Gray could focus his pent up sex urges on someone else. Then, by the time Natsu returned, Gray would be back to his usual self, and they could go back to being the way they were before.

Scanning the job board, Natsu looked for one that would possibly take the longest time. As he felt a weight on shoulder, he picked one that looked perfect. Happy wrapped his arms around Natsu's head as he read the description out loud.

"'Bodyguards wanted'," the cat read. "'Need able-bodied mages to follow important persons around during convention.' Are you sure, Natsu?"

"It's the only thing up here that's guaranteed to last at least a week," Natsu replied as he took the flier to the bar. Mirajane glanced at the flier, and up at Natsu.

"Are you sure you want this one?" she asked.

Natsu pounded his fist on the bartop. "Of course I am! Why does everyone keep asking me that? What? I can't accept a job for myself? Being someone's bodyguard sounds beneficial! I can finally use my powers for the forces of good. Can I have the job or not?" His voice raised louder and louder with each question.

The guild fell silent and every head turned to watch him. It wasn't uncommon for Natsu to have an outburst...but have an angry outburst at Mirajane? That was downright stupid, and he didn't seem to notice.

That is until he took a deep breath and was able to actually see who he was talking to. His face fell as he noticed Mirajane visibly shaking, her eyes downcast. He couldn't tell if she was crying, or laughing...or worse. He held up his hands in defense, hoping that he didn't do serious damage and was going to seriously regret what just happened.

"Listen, Mirajane, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

She snapped her head up, making Natsu jump and take cover behind the nearest bar stool. There was laughter erupting behind him, and he glanced up to see Mirajane smiling down at him. His anger rose again, but he knew to keep it check. The embarrassment from the laughter of the guild behind him, and the mixed feelings he's been exposed to from Gray have his mind in more jumbles than he's ever felt.

"I'll send a message over the lacrima letting them know you're coming, Natsu-kun," Mirajane said as Natsu pulled himself up. "Are Lucy and Gray going as well?"

"Ah, no. Just me."

"And me!" Happy squeaked.

For once, Natsu didn't know if he wanted his little buddy with him while he dealt the dilemma in his mind, but he couldn't refuse Happy anything. Besides, maybe having Happy around would dull the confusion, make Natsu concentrate on something other than Gray.

OOooOO

Natsu arrived at the famous Hosenka, which, after much thought, he still couldn't understand why these people needed to hold a convention at a spa town. And then, after his thinking, decided he didn't really care either way; anything to get him out of Magnolia, and away from Gray for awhile.

As he walked through the town, looking for the hotel he was going to be staying at, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty at his sudden departure, and his need to be away. He hadn't felt that way before, and it confused him almost as much as Gray did.

No, Gray was still under the effects of the magic, he reminded himself, and it was probably best that they stayed away from each other.

Happy sat up from his perch on Natsu's shoulder and pointed at a flamboyantly decorated hotel. There was a huge lion's head, decorated in gold, that towered over the entrance. The building itself rose only three stories, but he could tell from where he was standing that the foundation of the building itself rivaled that of the Fairy Tail guild hall.

Needless to say, it was huge.

"Is this the place?" the boy asked his cat companion.

The cat looked down at the little paper he was holding with the address marked on it, written in Mirajane's flowing cursive.

"Looks like it," the cat squeaked.

Natsu hoisted his pack higher and tighter on his shoulders, and started climbing the gilded stairs. He thought for a moment about the cost of the hotel, using so much gold for the decoration, but he shrugged it off, knowing that he could care either way, as long as the job was easy, and he didn't think about Gray.

He approached the front desk, which was long and also gold. The man behind the desk glanced up at the pair, a small look of disgust on his features. The boy was dirty, from head to toe, and the furry thing on his shoulder looked like someone beat it with a stick, rolled it through the mud, and dipped in a toilet.

Needless to say, Natsu refused to use any sort of moving transportation, and they had walked the entire way. He knew he smelled and probably had dirt engraved in his cells, but the man behind the counter could've at least pretended that he was happy to have a customer.

"May I help you, ah, sir?" the man enquired, giving Natsu a dirty look as the boy took the paper from Happy and placed it on the exquisitely clean countertop.

"Yeah, I'm looking for John Apple." Natsu had to read from the paper, having not memorized the name of the person he was to be guarding. Despite the look a pure hatred coming from the man, Natsu gave him a toothy smile. "My name is Natsu, and I came here on a job request for him."

Giving Natsu and Happy another disgusted once over, the man nodded and pushed a button by the book he was writing in.

"Mr. Apple will be expecting you shortly," the man answered, folding his hands and laying them on his book. He gave Natsu a strained smile. "Might I suggest cleaning up before you're sent to him? We have top of the line baths, both private and public, with salts to ease your tired body after traveling from so far."

Natsu smiled wider. "That sounds amazing!" he exclaimed, placing both hands on the counter. Dirt caked off his hands and dusted the man's area. "Where do I go for that?"

The man nodded, indicating to a person behind Natsu, who turned around, and, after having a finger waved at him, followed the newcomer, another employee who looked almost a disgusted at the man behind the counter.

oooOOOooo

Natsu sauntered through the hallway, going towards the room he had been directed to. He was in really high spirits after his amazing bath, and he felt good about this job. It had finally dawned on him that the chances of him actually being able to fight anyone were slim to none. Sure, being a bodyguard to someone did mean willing to fight to protect them, but, really, what were the odds of someone actually wanting to start a fight with his charge?

Well, he had to find out exactly who his charge was, and why he needed a bodyguard in the first place; Happy had made that point to him. The flier didn't really go into any specifics, but there had to be a reason that he was needed.

He found himself standing in front of the room he needed, and knocked on the door.

John Apple, Natsu mused. What sort of man was he? Obviously a weirdo, considering his name. And he had to be rich. He at least knew that from the flier. Maybe he was mixed in some sort of conspiracy that always seems to follow rich people around...Like, he knew some sort of dark secret that could plunge his rival into ruin. Or he was the only known person who knew of an object that could either help or destroy the earthland? Natsu began getting excited as so many possible scenarios filled his mind. What if, by being the man's body guard, he was entrusted with secrets, and was thrown into a battle that could save humanity?

Natsu felt his fists warm up at the thought of being apart of some epic battle, fighting alongside the forces of good, to wipe the forces of evil.

The door opened slightly, bringing Natsu back to reality - but he still had a huge grin on his face.

"Can I help you?" the man on the other side whispered. Natsu blinked at him for a moment, not being able to really see who was on the other side, but he raised his fist.

"I'm Natsu!" he exclaimed. "Your partner in the fight against evil!"

The man's eyes widened. He threw the door open, just enough, to grab Natsu by the edge of his yutaka, and pulled the boy in, slamming the door shut behind them. The man proceeded to set many locks into place on his door. From what Natsu could see, only being able to see his back, was the man was thin, pale, and maybe just a head taller than Natsu. When the man turned around, the boy sucked in his breath. The man was handsome, he'd give him that, but he had a sort feminine quality that just didn't seem right. He wore a white button up shirt, the long sleeves folded back up past his elbows. His black pants hung loosely on his hips, barely kept up by a black belt, which didn't really seem to be doing its job.

The man's blue eyes flared at him, his short black hair mussed on his forehead. The man clenched his fists, but stayed put.

"Are you stupid or something?" he asked.

Natsu blinked at him. "What?"

"Are you trying to call attention to yourself? What would I have done if someone saw you? Oh, God, I can't imagine." He ran his hands through his hair, and took a deep breath. Natsu was a little confused, but let the man finish. Had he said anything more, he was afraid the other man would try to hit him...Not that that was so terrible, but Natsu would hate to be sent home early because he beat his charge to a pulp.

John took a deep breath and straightened himself. "Well, either way, you're finally here. I was beginning to worry that my money was going to waste." He studied Natsu for a minute, which, for some reason, made the boy really uncomfortable. The man was just sizing up his new bodyguard. Yeah, that's it. He just wants to make sure he can be trusted to protect him.

After a few uncomfortable moments, John smiled, and moved passed Natsu, walking further into the room. Natsu followed, still unsure if it was okay for him talk yet. He was led to a small table in the corner, where food had been set out. John looked back and chuckled softly at the look Natsu gave the food.

"You haven't eaten?" he asked the boy. "Go ahead. I was saving it for your arrival anyway." He sat on one of the plush chairs on the side of the table, crossing a leg over his knee, which made Natsu think of a woman. What was this man?

Without a second thought, Natsu took the invitation and sat on the opposite side of the table as John, and started eating. He shovelled meat into his mouth, all the while keeping his eyes on his charge. The man across the table sat there with a small smile on his lips, watching the boy closely.

When their eyes met, Natsu felt himself choke on a bone. He inwardly cursed himself for not paying attention to what he was eating (not at all willing to admit that the man across the table had eyes that were strangely familiar...at least for a second), and he accepted the glass of water John pushed toward him.

"So, let me get one thing straight," John started. "While you are here, you are not tell anyone who you are, or where you're from. That sort of leaves out the part about being undercover, doesn't it?"

Natsu blinked. "Undercover? I thought I was just your bodyguard?"

"You are, but no one is supposed to know that." John leaned back in his chair.

"If this is supposed to be a secret, then why post the job offer in such a public place? Why not find a more subtle way to hire someone?" Natsu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He wasn't one for table manners, and he wasn't going to start just because he was in the presence of some rich guy.

John shrugged. "I posted the job, but not the specifics."

Natsu's belly ran a little cold. He wasn't sure about this job all of a sudden. Why did he have to keep such a secret? The smile this man was giving him was sly, and he didn't trust it at all.

"So what am I supposed to do, then?"

As John's smiled widened, Natsu immediately regretted asking.

"You're going to pretend to be my lover."

**Hello, again! I decided that, after two long, grueling years of hiatus, that I'd come back to my projects! I have been steadily following Fairy Tail, and I decided to relive some memories and starting reading fanfiction again. As soon as I remembered my account, I read over the stories that I had, and decided to continue this one. I'm still contemplating 'I Kissed a Girl" and I might be working on another one here, shortly, but this is the main one that I wanted to get back to. **

**Now, as you can guess, these next few chapters will be following Natsu and how he's coping with his blossoming feelings for Gray. I had originally meant to skip this whole segment, and get right on to the nitty-gritty, but I felt this was just more fun. **

**Well, since this is the end of this chapter, I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/faved over these passed years, begging me to continue this story. Unfortunately I had a lot on my plate: going back to school, getting a job, now my kids are in school...I felt myself draining, and unable to come up with anything to further the story. Well, I have a few more chapters planned out, so I know I'm going to get those out before life shoves something else in my face and I have to go on another hiatus. Fear not, though, I will have Natsu and Gray together by the time that happens, so help me, God! Without further ado, please review/follow/favorite, and I might be more inspired to get these chapters up sooner. Much love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Fairy Tail, but I do own these upcoming OC's.**

Magic

Chapter 9

Natsu choked on the water he had been drinking. Choking twice in less than two minutes...he could feel his throat burning slightly, and knew it was going to be sore.

"Excuse me?" he coughed, looking wide eyed at the man smirking at him across the table.

"I assume you heard me. I didn't stutter or misspeak, did I?" He crossed his arms and leaned on the table. "I need you to pretend to be my lover."

"But….what happened to bodyguard?"

"Well, you're still my bodyguard, but you'll be posing as my lover in public."

Natsu shook his head, thoughts running through his mind a million miles a minute. He was able to hold onto one thought, though: How can he forget about Gray and his feelings if he were to 'pretend' to be in love with this other….._man_?

"Now, you don't need to fret over it," John said quietly, bringing Natsu back to reality. "Again, it's only pretending. I promise no touching, kissing, or sex. While we are out in public, I just need you to stand there and be pretty."

Natsu blushed bright red at the mention of sex. "What does that mean? When do I get to fight someone?" After all, that's one of the main reasons why he came on this job in the first place; to protect someone meant fighting for them...and he had really high hopes that that's what he'd be doing.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. At least let me explain," John said in a rush as Natsu stood from the table and started making his way to the door. "Please, you're my last . The convention starts tomorrow, and if you don't agree to this, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Natsu stopped and turned to the now desperate man, who stayed sitting. How could Natsu even think to say yes to this job? He took this job thinking it'd be an easy one, protecting someone from a possible assailant, staying away from the guild for a few weeks, and letting Gray cool his head.

Natsu couldn't even begin to understand how uncomfortable he was at that moment, and nothing really happened yet. When Gray was around, and was actually touching...well, Natsu still couldn't decide how he felt about that.

John took Natsu's hesitation to continue further. "There is a man that I'm trying to convince to fund a project that my company is working on. I've heard rumors that the only way to get him to fund anything is to seduce him."

"How does that even make sense?" Natsu interrupted, grabbing his hair. "What kind of company are you in? What project? What the hell kind of convention is this?!"

"A normal convention where many people from many merchant guilds gather together and try to sell their newest inventions. It just so happens that this one particular man is the only one who can push our product forward, and it just so happens that this is the only way to get his money. This whole thing is purely for profit."

"What if it doesn't work?"

The older man shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Then it doesn't work, my project gets canned, and millions of jewel worth of time and effort gets wasted." He watched as Natsu looked around the room. It seemed like the boy hadn't realized what sort of environment they were in until that very moment, which seemed odd to John. What a strange thing to focus on in the middle of a conversation.

Natsu had just realized the room he was standing in. Just like Natsu to be blindsided because he was offered food. It was a single room, a living room of sorts, with the table and kitchen towards the back door, which looked like it led to a patio. There was a door on his left, and one on the right of him. A bedroom and a bathroom? What good is keeping a bedroom on the opposite side of the room of the bathroom? Would that mean one would have to walk across the living room, naked, in order to get to their room? Or was the bathroom big enough for clothes?

"I'll pay you a bonus," John said, interrupting the boy in his thoughts. Natsu jumped slightly and looked back at the man. "Whether we're successful or not, I'll pay you what I promised, plus a nice bonus. It wasn't fair of me to spring this up on you out of nowhere, and I can see that you're uncomfortable, but it'll worth your time. I promise."

Uncomfortable. That was an understatement. What kind of man asks a stranger to pretend to be his boyfriend? However, that promise of all that money...the initial reward was hefty enough to ensure Natsu and Happy were covered for a long time, and to add on a bonus? Lucy would be covered with rent for a year.

Just think of how much food that would buy.

Natsu shrugged. Honestly, how bad could it really be? After all, John did say that there would be no intimate touching at all. He could pretend, couldn't he?

"I understand if you need a moment to think about it, but we're also on a tight schedule."

Sighing, Natsu hung his head. "I guess I could help you out, just to see how it goes."

With an obvious sigh of relief, John's composure relaxed, his arms falling to his sides, and a huge grin spread on the man's face. "You won't regret it," he said, standing up. "Now, you will have to move from your room to here-"

Nastu jumped back as John stepped closer to him. "Whoa. We have to share a room?"

"Well, yes and no. The hotel room, yes, but this is a two room suite." He pointed to the doors on either side. "That's my room…" He pointed to the left. "And that's yours." He pointed to the right.

"Okay, I'll have to talk to my partner."

The man stopped. "Oh. I didn't know you were with someone. That's fine; we can work around it."

"He'll be okay with this, I just need to tell him what's going on."

John watched as Natsu left the room. So, the boy didn't mention that he already had lover. That explains why he was so nervous about taking the job. And here John thought Natsu was only surprised about being a man's lover. John should have known better; the boy did give off a feeling that he was into men - it wasn't just John's imagination.

John felt a huge grin spread on his face again.

ooooooOoo

Nastu quietly entered his room, still trying to figure how the job was going to work out, and how he managed to accept the job in the first place. His mind kept flittering to Gray, and the way his eyes looked the last time Natsu saw him.

"_That's a promise_," he had said. Natsu shivered at the memory. The cool feeling of Gray's lips against his, the feel of Gray's hand pushing Natsu's head closer…

Natsu shut his eyes tight and shook his head, shaking the memory out his head.

"So? Did we get the job?" The familiar squeak of Happy brought Natsu back to his senses.

"Yeah, but we're moving. Help me pack."

The cat blinked at his partner, but helped pack their things either way. Natsu looked a little shook up, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Natsu was protecting his charge from. It had to be bad if it made Natsu nervous.

The cat shrugged and dropped a bottle of shampoo - compliments of the hotel - in his bag. Actions first, questions later.

**ooOOoo**

**AN:**

**Thank you to all who reviewed/faved/followed. It really makes my busy days seem brighter when I see that people actually like the story. Thank you soo much! 3**

**Hopefully this chapter appeased you all to some extent until this weekend when I'll have more free time to write.**


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